Thorsten Beck - Böcker

Drawing on its extensive experience in helping restructure and reform financial systems, the World Bank examines the state of African domestic financial systems in a global comparison. It identifies promising trends as well as pinpointing the major shortcomings that are observed across sub-Saharan Africa. Policy recommendations distinguish between those designed to make finance a more effective driver of economic growth and those designed to give low income, small-scale and other excluded groups better access to financial services.

Financing Africa takes stock of Africa's financial systems in light of recent changes in the global financial system - including the greater risk aversion of international investors, a shift in economic and financial powers towards emerging markets and the regulatory reform debate - and the increasing role of technology. Using a wider and more detailed array of data than previous publications, we observe a trend towards financial deepening, more stability and more inclusion leading up to the crisis; serious challenges, however, continue, including limited access to financial services, focus on short-term contracts and hidden fragility, related to weak regulatory frameworks, undue government interference and governance deficiencies. Our policy analysis therefore focuses on (i) expanding outreach, (ii) fostering long-term finance and (iii) improving regulation and supervision. We identify the positive role of innovation and competition, a stronger focus on non-traditional financial service providers, and more emphasis on demand-side constraints as priority areas for policy actions.Specifically, competition from new players outside the banking system, including telecomm companies can increase outreach with technological innovation that changes the economics of retail finance. Moving beyond national stock exchanges that are not sustainable in most African countries towards regional solutions and over-the-counter trades can help foster long-term finance, as can addressing governance challenges in contractual savings institutions, including life insurance companies and pension funds. Finally, there is a need to look beyond supply-side constraints towards users of financial services, focusing more on financial literacy of households and firms, but also consumer protection. In formulating policy messages, we carefully distinguish between different country groupings, differentiating - among others - between low- and middle-income and small and larger economies, with a special focus on resource-based economies and post-conflict countries

This edited volume contains eight studies of financial sector challenges in Africa that served as background studies for Financing Africa: Through the Crisis and Beyond. One of the major challenges for African financial systems is to expand financial services to a larger share of the population. The chapters in this area cover microfinance in Africa, the role of technology, reforms of payment infrastructure, and financing agriculture. Two chapters cover challenges in increasing long-term finance; one covers housing finance and the other the role of sovereign wealth fund. The book also contains a detailed discussion of bank regulation and supervision, especially in light of the current regulatory reforms in Europe and North America. The final chapter provides a political economy perspective, discussing the conditions for activist government policies in the financial sector.

This handbook presents a timely collection of original studies on relevant themes, policies and developments in European banking. Part four looks at the relevance of cross-border banking and part five presents a detailed analysis of the main EU banking markets.

The Handbook of Finance and Development provides a thorough assessment of the existing research on the relationship between the financial system and economic growth. Containing chapters on theory, empirical work and historic accounts, this is the first Handbook to provide a comprehensive overview of the fields of finance and development. As leading researchers in the field the contributors analyse the emergence of, and innovations in, financial instruments, markets, and intermediaries, providing commentary on how these components of financial systems shape resource allocation, poverty, income inequality and aggregate economic growth. They also explore the causes and consequences of financial fragility, the historic development of financial systems and the regulatory and supervisory underpinnings of financial sector development. Further chapters examine financial development at both the aggregate and country levels and assess the degree to which individuals and firms can access financial services. Recent literature on the financial inclusion of households and enterprises is also analysed.The Handbook will be of great value to scholars and researchers who are interested in the fields of finance, development and financial inclusion. Throughout the chapters the contributors highlight how insights drawn from research inform policy debates on the topics at hand making this work a useful resource for policy makers and regulators.Contributors include: F. Abraham, P. Aghion, F. Allen, M. Ayyagari, J. Barth, T. Beck, A. Berger, H. Bodenhorn, C. Burhop, J. Caprio, R. Cull, A. Demirguc-Kunt, S. Frame, X. Gu, T. Guinnane, P. Honohan, P. Howitt, L. Klapper, O. Kowalewski, T. Lambert, R. Levine, N. Loayza, V. Maksimovic, R. Morck, J. Morduch, A. Ouazad, A. Popov, R. Ranciere, R. Roman, S. Schmukler, D. Singer, M. Soledad Martinez Peria, W. Summerhill, R. Tilly, J. Verrier, P. Volpin, H.-J. Voth, B. Yeung

This essential collection contains the most influential articles written over the past two decades that help us to understand the role of entrepreneurs in the development process, both theoretically and empirically. These important papers span a wide methodological range, from theoretical models, over cross-country studies, to firm- and household-level studies, utilizing both regression analysis and simulation techniques.Professor Beck has written an insightful introduction which provides an overview of the area of entrepreneurship in developing countries.